Odds and Ends 009

Allen B., keen observations re Allo Darlin', and helps explain why it still sounds much more like the Go-Betweens than a Grant McLennan solo album.

Random upon random --

Today on a House rerun, Hugh Laurie says, "Contrary to what Jimmy Cliff taught you, sometimes the bigger they are, the harder they kick your ****."

EDIT: Oh please, I'm quoting a TV character.

**** = a$$ if you didn't catch the context.

I also noticed that "Tallulah" mentions surfing magazines, perhaps another nod toward The Go-Betweens. 

Peter G., the Forster influence might be in the diaristic nature of many of the lyrics, and the way in which (much more so in Forster's case) the singing slips in and out of a conversational feel.

Thought I'd throw this track out and see what you think -- http://goo.gl/di2XQ -- something I'm working on for Recycled Goods. Motorpsycho is a very prolific Norwegian rock band. This is the first I've heard of them, and while I initially suspected metal it now seems likely they're closer to Hawkwind than to Motorhead. (Group was named for the Russ Meyer film.) The Source is saxophonist Trygve Seim. I know him mostly from ECM albums, but seems to have had a wilder and woolier adolescence. Deathprod (Helge Sten) throws in some cheesy electronics. Album runs out of gas before the end, but they were onto something here.

Kool A.D. has a free album called 51 available here: http://goo.gl/SseGQ
It's another mess but "La Piñata" (?) deploys a Mister Rogers sample sinuously. And apparently he thinks it's the pick to click too since there's already a video for it: http://goo.gl/n67pW

Irene, before sorting out car jams, you should consider getting a h/motel at the 10-hour mark. Or at the seeing-Lee-Harvery-O​swald mark, whichever comes first. I've done dozens of inhumane road trips often with four (4!) gangsta cats and a decent night's sleep along the way saved our lives.

Stock your vehicle with:

1. Two little bowls for water and cat food placed on the floor. Your cats will probably be too stressed to partake. But just in case.

2. A makeshift litter box. They will partake.

3. Paper towels. They will puke.

4. A washcloth. They will puke on themselves.

5. Bottles of water. Keep yourself hydrated. Also, your cats will be dehydrated and look a bit scary. Don't worry. They'll survive. But you should wet the nose/mouth area so they get some sort of hydration.

6. Food. I don't follow this too well myself. But try to bring some healthy food with you. Trader Joe's hasn't colonized the roadside market (yet). So you're stuck with the major fast food chains. But a Whopper or Cheesy Gordita Crunch is fake fuel - it'll power you for a couple of hours but drain you the next day. Remember - you have to unload/unpack once you arrive and you'll need some energy for that.

7. Towels and/or blankets. Make little areas for them to sleep on.

8. And then, yes, music, if only to cover up the bitching. My cats meowed for five (5!) hours non-stop. You will go mad if you can't drown them out with tuneage.

Oh and if you get a hotel, don't tell the front desk you have cats. I've never had a problem sneaking them in.

Good luck!

Edit: Ah I see you're stopping along the way. Smart smart smart.

Irene: Am I to understand that your car is cassette only? If so, they used to sell cassette-shaped converters with a stereo mini at the other and I bet they still do. Then there were and probably are those gizmos that turn your radio into an iPod player. They didn't work so well, though.

OMG KENNY THE ANSWER IS YES. I love idiosyncratic mixes. I think I have a way to rig up my comp to a cassette recorder too....

Also: in a pattern established on drive tape #1, all drive tapes end with a segment of Flipper's "Sex Bomb" -- cassettes being of fixed length, it could be as little as 30 seconds of it, or as much as four or five minutes. Only drive tape #1 provided the song in its true 7:49 glory.

Irene-take your time and try to get a good

nights' sleep somewhere-don't mention the cats.

As far as music goes-I like to mix the new with the

tried and true. In this way if the new are disappointing-the old serves

as comfort food. What I would bring doesn't matter. But as regards the new- the above Odds and Ends

might do the trick.